Mtshketa - Tbilisi
17 September - 19 September 2016
Mtskheta is one of the oldest
cities in Georgia. Standing at the confluence of the Mtkvari & Aragavi rivers,
this town is an attractive town that contains some of the most
significant monuments of Georgian Christian architecture, historically
significant for its contribution of medieval architecture throughout the
Caucasus.
We spent the best part of a
morning discovering the Svetitskhoveli
Cathedral and finding out a little more about independent producers of
Georgian wine. Always good to discover the bootleggers.
Mtskheta - Georgia
Mtskheta - Georgia
Mtskheta - Georgia
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral - Mtskheta - Georgia
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral - Mtskheta - Georgia
This is the moment that Davis got told off by a priest for entering wearing a tank top - LOL
'Get out of my cathedral you punk!'
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral - Mtskheta - Georgia
Georgian wine bootlegger - he looks like one too!
Mtskheta - Georgia
Mtskheta - Georgia
The next day we were in more professional & legitimate hands as
we attended a winery just outside the lovely town of Signagi. Located in the
eastern most region of Georgia the area serves as one of the main tourist
destinations as the cradle of Georgian wine making now resides in this area.
Royal sulphur baths - Tbilisi - Georgia
Royal sulphur baths - Tbilisi - Georgia
Royal sulphur baths - Tbilisi - Georgia
Georgian wine - wine not - Tbilisi - Georgia
Answers can always be found at the bottom of your glass
Tbilisi - Georgia
Hard Rock Cafe - Tbilisi - Georgia
Hard Rock Cafe - Tbilisi - Georgia
Hard Rock Cafe - Tbilisi - Georgia
Outside of Signagi - Georgia
Signagi - Georgia
Signagi - Georgia
Signagi - Georgia
Signagi - Georgia
As I mentioned in an earlier
entry, Georgian wine making has an 8000 year old history and it’s believe that
the famed Georgian clay pots hold the secret to the formulation of their
fantastic wines. The ancient Georgian method holds no barrels, or vats or
monitoring systems, just the qvevri
which imparts a unique taste to the wines. I have to say, after 8000 years of
tradition the Georgians have learnt a thing or two about making these precious
drops. There are some great Georgian white varietals such as Rkhatsiteli, Kisi, Mtsvane Kakhuri &
Tsolikouri but admittedly, for me, the real hits were the reds such as Saperavi, Kindzmarauli & Shavkapito.
All of these are varietals that I’d never encountered before coming to Georgia,
in fact, never knew existed and least of all knew that they were probably the
forerunners to all of the wines around the world! Not a bad claim to fame I’d
say, and something that I believe Georgia should make a bigger deal about into
the future. Once again, as per an earlier entry, for many reasons I believe
Georgia is still off the radar in terms of many peoples travel itineraries.
Needless to say, with a bit of self-promotion and a few good words, I believe
it will enter a Lonely Planet top 10 soon enough, with a bullet!
Signagi - Georgia
Signagi - Georgia
Signagi - Georgia
Khareba winery - Georgia
Khareba winery - Georgia
Khareba winery - Georgia
Khareba winery - Georgia
Khareba winery - Georgia
Khareba winery - Georgia
Khareba winery - Georgia
Khareba winery - Georgia
Self made churchkela - Khareba winery - Georgia
Khareba winery - Georgia
Our last couple of days was spent
in the wonderful city of Tbilisi. Another one of the plethora of attractions in
this city is its sulphur baths, a time honoured ritual in the city ever since
the King of Georgia discovered the sulphur springs in the area and decided to
build his city around them. Of course now it’s very much set up for tourists
but how can you go past having a soak, scrub and traditional massage beneath
the domed roofs of these baths. An absolute treat.
We had really managed our luck
quite nicely with the weather during our stay. Aside from a later afternoon
thunderstorm in Batumi we had been blessed with some gorgeous sunshine for most
of our stay. Our return to Tbilisi was no different and we took full advantage
of the beautiful days to enjoy dining outdoors, partaking in some rooftop
tipples and also finding some nice shisha spots. The later was another bonus of
Tbilisi. It appears that Georgians are all smokers and their penchant for
taking on a bit of nicotine also extended to the good ‘ole hookah, something
that both Inga & I are fans off.
Tbilisi - Georgia
Tbilisi - Georgia
Tbilisi - Georgia
Tbilisi - Georgia
Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia
Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia
Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia
It looks completely 'desolate' here but we were the early arrivals. One hour later this place was full
Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia
Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia
Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia
Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia
On our last evening Inga & I
went to wonderful restaurant named the Tsiskvili, http://tsiskvili.ge/english/home,
located a little drive outside of the city centre, the set up was a real
pleasure, with a natural waterfall, water mill, Georgian antiquities, funicular
and national folk dance, all with delicious Georgian cuisine thrown into the
mix, it ended up being a fantastic way to round out our time in a country that
surprised at nearly every turn.
Even the long wait for the 3am
flight out of Tbilisi to Istanbul was made a breeze with some late night shisha
and a few drinks on Shardeni Street to help us on our way.
To you Georgia I say thank you.
Unexpectedly wonderful, you’re a treasure hidden in plain sight.
